Washington's Presidency
by Gregory Bykhovsky
1. Settling the National Debt
1.1. More than 25 Million dollars was owed by the US to foreign countries.
1.2. Alexander Hamilton wanted to pay the debt off immediately and gradually repay the total value of the bonds.6
2. Republican Motherboard
3. Made up of members, who informed Washington on political matters. They had debates with each other and eventually cabinet meetings
3.1. The original 5 members were Henry Knox (secretary of war) Thomas Jefferson (secretary of state) Edmund Randolph (attorney general) Alexander Hamilton (secretary of the treasury) and George Washington (president)
4. Jefferson vs. Hamilton
4.1. Jefferson and Hamilton had disputes over the authority of the central government. Jefferson wanted to protect the power of the states, and Hamilton wanted . strong government, and did not have much faith in the individuals.
4.2. They also argued over how the economy of the country should grow. Hamilton wanted new forms of economic growth. He also wanted to institute higher tariffs. This meant that the tax on foreign goods would be higher, and the citizens would want to buy goods from the US more.
4.2.1. Jefferson believed that farmers were the most independent voters, because there work was not effected by other's work. He wanted to make sure the goods that they bought were cheap, so he wanted to lower tariffs.
5. Remaining Neutral
5.1. After the French revolution, the French went to war with Great Britain. In the U.S. some of the citizens backed the French, and some backed the British. Some also decided to take neither side and remained neutral.
5.2. Washington passed a proclamation to remain neutral in any European wars. Many people criticized this however. The French representative in the U.S. Edmond Genet asked for American privateers, but Washington, and Jefferson, knew this was a bad idea. Jefferson wanted to back the french, but Hamilton wanted to back the British.
6. Pinckney's Treaty
6.1. The Spanish started to dispute the border between the US and Florida
6.2. This seriously hurt the economy of the US because it closed a lot of major trade routes
6.3. Pinckney's Treaty was signed by the US President and the Prime Minister of Spain to settle border and trade disputes between the two countries.
6.4. Americans believe it was a successful compromise
7. Conflicts with Native Americans
7.1. As Americans began to settle in the southern area, they ran into many troubles with Native American tribes. Little Turtle, a chief, took down many U.S. forces. After a defeat, the British stopped aiding the Natives. Little Turtle then realized that they were outmatched and tried to seek peace. Then, at the battle of fallen timber, the Natives were defeated and the strength of the Natives in the area was weakened greatly.
8. The Whiskey Rebellion
8.1. Farmers/whiskey makers got very mad when the tax on whiskey was created. They started protesting, and sabotaging the tax collectors. Washington realized this was a problem that needed to be solved. He sent some 13,000 troops to stop the trouble, and it worked but was complete overkill.
9. Moving the Capital
9.1. Alexander Hamilton knew he had bargaining power.
9.2. The capital was originally in New York, but was moved to Philadelphia. This is because it would please the southern states who thought that the north had to much power with he capital being in the north. Eventually it was decided to be moved to Washington DC
10. The First Cabinet
11. A National Bank
11.1. Hamiltons and Jeffersons differences became more and more public in early 1791
11.2. Hamilton wanted to start a national bank where the government could safely deposit its money
11.2.1. Hamilton believed in loose construction of the Constitution